Across The Void
by rationalbookworm
Summary: Before ever meeting the Doctor, Martha Jones meets a certain blonde girl...


**Okay, so I was trying to work on Daughters Of Time while playing on my Kindle and really, that was a bad idea. Anyway, I think I've mentioned before that I have a prompt app and when I read this one this story popped into my head and demanded to be written.**

**NOT PART OF DAUGHTERS OF TIME!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. Just saying...**

**Prompt: A webcam connects to another universe.**

The first time it happened, Martha had just returned from the late shift at the hospital. She was tired, and hungry, and just wanted to wash off the gross feeling work always left on her. So after a quick shower, Martha sat down at her table with some reheated food from her mom's family dinner last Friday. She left the television off, intending to go to bed right after she finished.

Without warning her laptop that sat open on her desk across the room flared to life, making her jump about a mile high. The screen flashed blue, emitting a low hum before flickering to snow. She stared dumbfounded for a moment, before her legs took over without her permission. She found herself moving towards the computer, staring transfixed at the screen.

It flickered again, switching to a hazy picture of what looked like a living room. A blurry figure came into frame and positioned in the middle of the frame.

"Oh, shite," a South London accent muttered on screen as the picture slowly cleared. Martha dropped into her desk chair and watched as a pretty blonde girl a couple years younger than her came into view.

The blonde girl blinked at Martha, surprise clear in her expression, "You're definitely not Mickey."

Dumbly, Martha shook her head, "Martha Jones."

The blonde eyed her for a moment, sizing her up. Martha took the time to really look at her. Though she was clearly very young, her eyes were dark, haunted, like she'd seen so much more horror than anyone could imagine. She held herself tall, confident in herself and her powers. Martha couldn't help but feel rather intimidated by this woman.

"Rose Tyler," she finally introduced herself.

* * *

Rose Tyler mysteriously popped up on her computer screen from time to time, though neither woman could figure out why. They talked about their lives – work, school, family, childhood, everything and nothing, until Martha couldn't help but consider the blonde woman one of her best friends.

She realized the feeling was reciprocated when Rose told her her biggest secret. The Doctor. At first, Martha couldn't believe a word of it, but the more she heard, the more she saw Rose's eyes light up whenever the alien was mentioned, she couldn't deny it any longer. As fantastical as it sounded, he _had_ to be real. She could only hope she found a guy half as great as him.

* * *

One day while they were chatting about the Doctor, Rose came clean about how they were separated. She was trapped in another universe. A universe that was not Martha's. That much became clear when Rose said something about her father's zeppelin. It also became fairly obvious after a few moments that Martha was living in Rose's home universe. Martha checked the casualty list for Canary Warf on the internet just to be sure.

Sure enough, under _Tyler, Jackie_ was _Tyler, Rose_.

* * *

"Just the Doctor."

"How do you mean, just the Doctor?"

"Just…the Doctor."

"What, people call you 'the Doctor'?"

It was the Doctor. Martha couldn't really blame Rose for falling for him. He was rather foxy. She felt a pang of regret at that thought. She hadn't spoken to Rose since she found the list of the dead and wasn't sure how to go about contacting her. But the blonde woman needed to know about this. This was the love of her life after all.

Looking at the alien now, Martha could see just how much he loved the blonde as well. There was such a deep sadness in his eyes, like she'd never seen before. And the way he danced around the topic of having people in his life. It was just heartbreaking. But she couldn't very well tell him that, could she? Especially not when she had no way of contacting Rose. No, she'd just have to be quiet about it until she could think of some way to get them together again. If that was even physically possible.

* * *

She was getting ready for her brother's birthday party when it happened. The laptop made a loud pop and the screen flickered until Rose came into view. Taking a deep breath, Martha sat down and smiled at the other woman.

"Hey, Martha! Long time no see!" She grinned her signature tongue in teeth grin.

"Hey Rose," she hesitated. "I have some news for you."

"What's that?"

"I met him."

Rose blinked a couple times before realization dawned and tears sprang to her eyes while she smiled brighter than ever. "Oh, God! What happened?"

So Martha ran through everything that happened on the moon, but hesitated again when it came to the kiss. She knew he said it meant nothing, that it was just a genetic transfer or whatever, but she wasn't sure how Rose would take it. It had definitely felt like more when it happened.

To her surprise, Rose laughed, "Oh that stupid alien git! He really should have gave you more warning than that."

"You're…you're not mad?"

Rose smiled softly and shook her head. "I might have been before, but after traveling with him for so long," she shrugged. "I've kinda learned to expect it. It's just how he is, Martha, and I wouldn't change that for the world."

"Wow," Martha mumbled. She'd never seen someone so forgiving and understanding. Her parents had always been at each other's throats about things they thought needed to be changed in the other. Maybe that was the real reason why they got divorced and her father cheating was just a byproduct.

"Anyway," Rose took a deep breath as if bracing herself. "How was he? When he wasn't babbling and saving the world, I mean."

Martha smiled sadly. She couldn't lie about this; Rose would probably know. It was scary how easily Rose could read people. Or maybe it was just her.

"Not good. He misses you a lot. Wouldn't say anything, of course, but it was obvious."

Rose closed her eyes and nodded, "I miss him too."

"Are you sure there's _no_ way for you to come back?"

"That's what he said. It could potentially rip the universes – both of them – apart. But…" she trailed off, chewing on her lip.

"But?"

"Well, I…" she glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "I've been working on a way to come back. I just wish there was a way to make sure he was okay until I do."

Martha wasn't sure what to say except, "If there's anything I could do…"

Rose studied her more intensely than when she first began appearing on Martha's computer. "Actually…if this isn't too much to ask…if you happen to run in to him again – which you probably will by the way. He loves people who can handle themselves in his world. Could you…maybe…"

"You want me to go with him?" Martha asked wide-eyed. Was Rose really trying to find another woman for the love of her life?

"As a friend. He needs someone to travel with him, to hold his hand, to talk with, to keep him going, to make sure he doesn't go too far. And you're a lot smarter than I was when I first began traveling with him. You'll probably be able to keep up with the techno-babble," she laughed.

"I don't know Rose," she shook her head.

"Just think about it."

* * *

She didn't need to. Once she spotted the Doctor standing across the street watching her family fall apart, she knew what she wanted – needed – to do. But that didn't mean she couldn't toy with him a bit.


End file.
